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Harlingen board closes public hearing and authorizes Type B sales-tax projects for city commission review
Summary
The Harlingen Community Improvement Board closed a public hearing with no public speakers and approved nine Type B sales-tax projects for referral to the city commission; staff said published dollar amounts cannot be changed without republishing, and Casa del Sol’s historic designation must be resubmitted after an initial denial.
The Harlingen Community Improvement Board closed a required public hearing on Type B sales-tax-funded projects after no members of the public registered to speak and voted to authorize staff to proceed with the nine projects listed in the published 60-day notice.
City Manager Gabe told board members the notice required by the Texas Development Corporation Act had listed the projects and dollar amounts and “you can’t change anything, you have to republish,” meaning any reallocation of published funding would require a new public notice. He also updated members on Casa del Sol, saying, “The initial designation was denied. And so we’re going back and looking at what changes we can make to the application to resubmit.”
After staff clarified that the board’s role at this meeting was the statutorily required hearing and the action to authorize Type B expenditures, a board member moved to approve the projects and the board voted in favor. With the board’s approval, the items will go to the Harlingen city commission for final approval and a city manager execution of any budget amendment needed for spending.
Board members emphasized that the public hearing is a procedural step required under the Texas Development Corporation Act, and several members asked staff to verify whether any future changes would require republishing the notice. No public testimony was presented during the hearing.
Next steps: staff will forward the projects and any requested budget amendment to the city commission, and proceed with consultant revisions for Casa del Sol’s historic designation so its planned funding can move forward after the designation process is complete.
